My own Ball test.

[kid2]

Its not going to be an in-depth comparison on how different balls react but just my take on how these balls reacted for me......

I was playing Wilsonstaff DX2's for the past 6 weeks....Iv had 2 cuts and 4 buffers using these balls but i just wanted to see if there was a difference between these and the high end balls for me Personally......

I was at the club yesterday for a few hours short game practice and on the chipping green from various lies i tested all 5 of these.....
1... Srixon Z Star XV.
2... Srixon Tri Speed.
3... Titleist Pro V1.
4... Bridgestone 330 RX-S.
5...My Trusty Wilsonstaff DX2....

Now im not really one for magical short game shots.....I play my bump and runs and standard chips and pitches but getting balls dancing is best left to those that are either pro or really good wedge players.....

Firstly off tight lies......Chipping to a flag about 15 yards away from me.....With 52 and 56 degree Vokeys i could see no difference between the balls worth writing about anyway...Maybe just a slight edge to the tour balls for checking ever so slightly..All of them hit roughly the same spot and released in much the same manner....I dont stab at chips...More of a rocking motion with my shoulders...I find this to be the most consistent for me.....

Then i went to the semi rough.....Similar results again with a slight edge on the tour balls..But nothing that could sway me in their direction to start using them....They seemed to release in much the same manner as the Wilson and the Tri Speed...

After this i went to the heavy rough.....Again no real stand outs.....

Then i went for the 70 yard pitches to our practice green.......If im honest the tour balls grabbed a little bit more than the Wilsons but im not sure is the extra 30 euro a box worth 2 or 3 ft difference on the green.....
I suppose that the shots from 100 mtrs in may have a different conclusion in that they'd put the brakes on and go into reverse...But unless your hitting wedges to an absolute yardage that could also hurt you in a sense.

Its just my take on things and maybe playing with the Wilsons for so long iv just learned to play with the way they react...... But for me they are straight off the tee and pretty long.....I love them off the putter.....The Srixons just feel too hard off the putter...... And i also hit a high ball with my irons....I guess i generate a decent amount of spin with my clubs so holding greens from distance with a distance ball isnt an issue for me......

Anyway im sure some of you have had this experiment yourselves and picked your favourite but for me there isnt enough difference between them to justify the shillings.......You can argue that maybe im not good enough yet to get the best from a tour ball but with a Driver Speed of 104 mph and a 7 iron speed of 86 i definitely have enough Swingspeed to use these balls but i cant see why i should......

 

[chrisd]

Good write up Kid. It really does all come down to personal preference. I generally buy 5 or so dozen balls at a time so that I get used to the same balls characteristics over a period which helps me with chipping and putting. Currently I'm using Bridgestone RX300 and at the reduced bulk price they are fine for me

 

[Ethan]

I play a mixture of Pro V1x, Cally Hex Black, TM Penta and Nike 20XI-X and to tell you the truth I don't find any real playing difference between any of them. The Penta feels a bit softer but behaves pretty much the same in the long and short game as the others.

 

[G1BB0]

I have cut up a pinnacle yellow peril that stopped dead and a pro v1, I cant do either consistently so stick to middle ground. Playing a mix atm as running out of balls (lethals all gone bar 2 not bad for a 20+ h/c and 3 months lol)

I find putting makes the biggest difference, played a titty velocity on Sunday as a playing partner gave me one to try... quite impressed and not a ball I would buy.

dont believe the hype is my theory :thup:

 

[virtuocity]

Yep- spent a fortune on Srixon soft feels but now just as happy with Nike PD softs at £12 a dozen.

Nice work Kid2

 

[Alex1975]

A good read. I read your results in a totally different way to you. I would not expect a noteable difference over small chips but if you are seeing 2-3 yards difference at 70 yards then I need to have a rethink and get some premium balls. That could mean all shots that are 2 or three yards off the back could be on the dance floor.

I take your point that they could be 2-3 yards off the front too though.

Nope, I think your experiment is pro premium balls. I'll be interested to hear your next post with the same balls putting.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Playing with Srixon Z Stars and some old TM TP blacks I found lurking in a cupboard. They perform perfectly adequately and I'm just getting through my old balls so next will be the TM Penta 5 piece. Interesting to try these again as I wasn't a fan when they first came out but the FIL bought me some for Christmas so I'll give them a bash

 

[kid2]

QUOTE=Alex1975;822259]A good read. I read your results in a totally different way to you. I would not expect a noteable difference over small chips but if you are seeing 2-3 yards difference at 70 yards then I need to have a rethink and get some premium balls. That could mean all shots that are 2 or three yards off the back could be on the dance floor.

I take your point that they could be 2-3 yards off the front too though.

Nope, I think your experiment is pro premium balls. I'll be interested to hear your next post with the same balls putting.[/QUOTE]


2 TO 3 ft Al :thup:

Well iv putted with all 5 Al...At least i can give my tuppence worth on that....Its probably the strongest part of my game........ I used a Z Star in todays round for 3 holes after id hooked the Bridgestone into the cabbage........Hated the Z Star off the putter..My Wilson came out straight away......I have a metal milled face on my Cleveland putter...And whether its down to me liking the feel of the DX 2's of the putter or what i dont know but the feel of those Srixons are like rocks compared to a Pro V or the Wilsons.......


Feel off the putter are Soft to hard in this order......
Softest...... Pro V and the Wilson DX
Medium...... Srixon Tri Speed or Bridgestone B330 RX-S
Hardest.... By a country mile is the Srixon Z Star XV.......


Obviously these are subject to whatever putter you are using but this is the feel for me off a milled face.

 

[kid2]

Good write up Kid. It really does all come down to personal preference. I generally buy 5 or so dozen balls at a time so that I get used to the same balls characteristics over a period which helps me with chipping and putting. Currently I'm using Bridgestone RX300 and at the reduced bulk price they are fine for me

Chris i really liked the Bridgestones..... I used them on Saturday in the wind at a different course to my own and was really taken with them...... I just bought a sleeve of 3 to try but really liked the way they played......
I think if push came to shove i would certainly pick them over a Pro V or a Z Star ......


Maybe when the weather gets better and the greens get really receptive a tour ball may be the way to go.....But i think until then my DX 2's will fit the bill just fine.

 

[mykweb]

Today while out for a bounce game I bought a pack of 3 titleist pro v1's. the guy behind the counter was going to hand me a bunch of smash back, and I have been tempted to try them for a while.

went out and I hit some of the best drives of my life. Tones of roll from the ones that I caught perfectly. The biggest thing for me was the putting. They rolled so much better than my dt roll balls. I don't know if I would use them in every game, but I would certainly use them in comps.

might get the rewashed ones for bounce games

 

[thecraw]

Played Hex Black tonight for the first time in a long time and now remember why I rated it so highly. Still prefer a Z-STAR though.

 

[lyden]

I want to give the Nike One rzn-x a go but need to wait till I can get to AG as no one stocks them round here, I'll probably end up back at the pro v1x though.

 

[Bucket92]

Taylormade Penta Tp3's are the longest balls I've ever played. They just have a unique feel off the face that feels great and the ball flies for miles let me tell you! Reached a par 5 with driver, 9 iron after a massive drive! Love these balls, decent price too.

 

[bluetoon]

Good write up kid and mirrors my own thoughts.

I dont find any difference in the pemium balls to get excited about. particularly in the cooler months.

 

[StrangelyBrown]

Interesting reading Kid, good write-up :thup:

I'm now of the mind that I can't make use of the spin that a premium ball gives consistently enough, so I'm going to take it out of the equation completely by playing a mid-range ball (Bridgestone E6).

I now know that I'm not going to get much check, so I play a shot to run out instead of chucking it at the pin and hoping it'll stick.

 

[Stuey01]

Our greens are so hard and fast at the moment that I've switched to premium balls. Used zstars yesterday and really liked them. Ball was dancing off wedges and staying on the green where hard cover balls were running through.
Preferred the zstars to my Nike one tour d, still got zstarxv in the cupboard to try too.
On bump and run chips I notice no difference.
Think it will be zstars for me in the nicer months and Bridgestone e5 in the winter.

 

[Pin-seeker]

Interesting reading Kid, good write-up :thup:

I'm now of the mind that I can't make use of the spin that a premium ball gives consistently enough, so I'm going to take it out of the equation completely by playing a mid-range ball (Bridgestone E6).

I now know that I'm not going to get much check, so I play a shot to run out instead of chucking it at the pin and hoping it'll stick.

I'm of the same mindset at the minute mate.
Good review :thup:

 

[markgs]

i have tried similar to this, the top brands tour balls are all similar to me but i found the best ball by a mile is the nike one platinum, not sure if you can get them anymore but they stop on a penny. few of the boys i play golf with say i can put some back spin in the ball, tell you the truth the ball is super, not even the pro v1 can stop like they do. try and get some on ebay, i really do not know why they are not liked that much

 

[kid2]

Nice to see a few of the lower handicappers with a similar view to me.......Its not so much i dont think they are a good ball.....More that i think the only place where i may see a difference would be wedge shots from 110-70 mtrs...... I cant see how a Tour ball would differ from the tee on anything lower than an 8 iron than on a mid range or even a Wilson DX2.....

But like i say....I hit a fairly high ball anyway so stopping balls on greens isnt much of a problem for me....On the other hand if it were very windy and i had to keep a ball down underneath it then i would think that the high end balls would have the advantage over the cheaper ones......

Still though...... If i happen to hit a Wilson in the cabbage and i cant find it its only 1.50 euro gone......If its a tour ball it could be as much as 4 or 5 euro......This for me is the biggest factor.....Price...

Play a ball for long enough and you'll soon learn how it plays off all the clubs.

 

[sydney greenstreet]

Yep- spent a fortune on Srixon soft feels but now just as happy with Nike PD softs at £12 a dozen.

Nice work Kid2

Tried a few shots with a Nike soft today and IMO they are nowhere near as good as a Srixon soft feel.